Witnesses say warlords have deployed hundreds of fighters in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, to battle rivals from the Islamic courts as violence raged for the seventh day. Abdi Hassan Quybdid, a top member of the United States-backed alliance of warlords has deployed a heavily-armed militia and 12 battle wagons . His commanders say Mr Quybdid is preparing to mount a further assault on gunmen loyal to the Islamic courts.
Saturday's pitched battles have killed at least 11 people in the northern district of Sisi. That brings the death toll to at least 111 since fighting between the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT) and Union of Islamic courts erupted last Sunday. Thousands of terrified civilians have fled the battle zone in the Sisi neighbourhood to safer areas as families report more civilians unaccounted for. "This is the time to save the people of Mogadishu and stop the bloodshed," Ahmed Muhamoud, a top commander in the Quybdid militia, said.
In addition to the volatile Sisi, witnesses say rival militias have pounded each other with heavy artillery, mortar shells and rockets in Huriwa, Waharaade and Yaqshid districts in north and south of the blood-soaked capital. Medical sources say at least 250 people, mostly civilians, have been wounded. "The warring sides are not targeting civilians directly, but most people are killed by stray bullets, mortars or heavy machine guns coming into their shanty houses, penetrating the poorly constructed walls," Mohamed Hirsi, an elderly man who fled from Sisi, said. |